on the road to MOnza with antonela
Does the history of Monza and the passion of the Tifosi draw you into thinking of attending the Italian Grand Prix or maybe it's somewhere you've never considered because you're not a ferrari fan? Well Antonela (also known as @Mclaren_Lew_F1 ) is a McLaren fan and she took the leap of faith to attend the strongly acclaimed Ferrari ground so why not check out her story here!
To view more of her photographs from her trip please visit her flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonela1989/sets/72157627702829964/
If you have any more questions Antonela is more than happy to answer them so just tweet her at @Mclaren_Lew_F1 .
To view more of her photographs from her trip please visit her flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonela1989/sets/72157627702829964/
If you have any more questions Antonela is more than happy to answer them so just tweet her at @Mclaren_Lew_F1 .
why monza?First of all, amazing atmosphere there!
I cannot express how much love for F1 there is in Italy, especially for Ferrari. Of course, us McLaren fans are welcomed with open arms, this is Formula 1 after all! Monza is unlike many other circuits, as it is part of a National Park, so no access for cars except for F1 teams etc. a helpful tip...Take comfortable shoes....there's a lot of walking to do!!! When you get to the national park, there's a 20-25 min walk to the circuit entry. A very pleasant walk to be honest, but in the heat, it can be a little tiring & hard on the feet. Again, follow the signs or the F1 fans.
circuit adviceIn terms of seating, we went for Museo - which was around £125 for the whole weekend in an uncovered grandstand.
The view isn't great compared to other grandstands, but you do get a TV screen in front of you, and get to see the cars for around 4-5 seconds a lap. As well as that, when the race is over, the paddock area opens slightly so fans can get onto the track to celebrate in front of the podium. This is the website I booked from. Highly recommend it! I was sat in Grandstand 20 http://www.bookf1.com/f1-italy/tickets.htm Also, you can go on a pitwalk if you get a 3 day ticket and also I recommend you get to the track early and if you hang around the paddock area, chances are you will see a few famous faces, as I did! |
travel adviceI strongly recommend the train service to get there- Incredibly reliable and if you feel you are getting lost, follow the F1 fans :)
The ticket process is unlike other places. You ask for a number of tickets at the train station desk (for example 40KM) which enables you to travel on the rail service up to 40 KM from where you 'validate' your ticket. By this, I mean before you get on your train, look for a yellow box (there are plenty of them) and put one of your tickets in it to get it stamped. Doing this will validate your ticket and you won't encounter a nasty fine. Train tickets are so cheap in Italy! It's your best option to get to the circuit! Here is the website for the train service: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD When you get to Monza train station, simply follow the signs that say 'Black Line' This is a free bus service that gets you to the circuit and VERY easy to find thanks to the signs. Simply hop on the bus and off to the circuit you go! accomodation and tipsIn terms of accommodation, I can't really help much as we drove to Italy & stopped in a caravan.
I recommend stopping in Milan though,(gorgeous place, amazing for shops, food, ice cream and site seeing!) Or Lake Como, which is where I stopped. Its such a picturesque place and a you can hop on a train that will take you to Monza in a short amount of time. Travelling from Lecco is your best bet for Monza as the trains are very frequent. Situated in the area of Lake Como, you will get a bit of everything again, such as shops, views (bit nicer than Milan) good food and culture! |